Like many of the things we use on a daily basis, traffic spikes are simply a derivative of a previous tool used for similar yet different purposes. The tool that influenced the development of traffic spikes was originally called a caltrop. A caltrop is simply a small weapon consisting of multiple sharp spikes or nails. People who used these instruments typically placed them on the ground, hidden from view, to slow the advancement of war troops and animals such as camels, horses, and elephants.
It is said that these devices were developed by the Romans in 331 BC, and played an instrumental role in many early wars, including the battle of Carrhae, in 51 BC. History shows that the Japanese also developed similar spikes called makibishi. These sharp spikes, similar to the Romans’, were also used as a war defense intended to penetrate the feet of both humans and animals. While the original spikes used by the Romans were made of iron, the Japanese used the natural pods found within the water chestnut to make their version of what we now call tire spikes.
It has been said that when travel evolved to include vehicles with rubber tires, the caltrop only had to be altered slightly to continue to perform its function of slowing the advancement of travel. With a slight change in name, traffic spikes were used quite regularly in police environments, and sometimes within military operations. In the last 15 years, however, people saw an opportunity to use the spikes to limit vehicular traffic flow into restricted areas, and that is the product we offer you today.